Combination spring bumper and drawbar



June 7, 1932. G, E EbMUNDS 1,861,658

COMBINATION SPRING BUMPER AND DRAWBAR ln/manto@ www June 7, 1932. G. E. EDMUNDS COMBINATION SPRING BUMPER AND DRAWBAR Filed April 2l, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet gwov-mtoa:

f7 E rd/770003 June 7, G. E EDMUNDS l 1,861,658

COMBINATION SPRING BUMPER AND DRAWBAR Filed April 2l, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented June 7, 1932 UNITED STATES PATEN orties GLENN E. EDMUNDS, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE BONN EY-FLOYD COMPANY,

OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO COMBINATION SPRING BUMPER AND DRAWBAR Appiiation mea Aprn 21,

having the lading bottom arranged below the tops of the axles. Mine cars of this general type are disclosed,` for example, in my Patent 1,644,010, granted October 4, 1927. Y

An object of the invention is to provide an improved b-umper and drawbar construction,v particularly useful with a car of this type, although adaptable to mine and industrial cars generally.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a bumper and drawbar mechanism which may be readily applied to a car with little or no change in its body construction.

Mine cars are ordinarily provided with a rigidly attached bumper at each end, the bumper sometimes being' connected by a drawbar extending longitudinally and centrally of the car. Suitable coupling mechanism is attached to each bumper so that the draft is transmitted from one bumper to the other through the drawbar connection. rllie present invention seeks to provide a yielding bumper construction which will reduce the st-rain upon the car and take up blows and shocks through a yielding mechanism interposed betwe'en the bumper and the fixed parts of the car. The invention seeks to reduce the strains resulting from the draft or pulling action as well as from the pushing or bumping of one car by another.

It will be understood that although the invention is described and claimed as embodied in a mine car, this term is used as covering generally any type of industrial car for work in mines and industrial plants.

Referring to the drawings, wherein there Ais shown a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Figure 1 is a bottom plan view.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view.

Figure 3 is an end elevational view.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary top plan with parts broken away.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view.

Figure 6 is an end view partly in elevation 50 and partly in section.

1928. Serial No. 271,842.

Figure 7 is a Vcross sectional view on the line 7-7 of Figure 4.- A

Figure 8 is a perspective showing one of the bumper supporting brackets attached .to the car bottom frame.

Figure 9 is va fragmentary perspective of one end of the bumper' with a part broken away.

VFigure 10 is a rear elevational View of a portion ofthe bumper. n

`Referring to the drawings for a more detailed description, the mine car illustrated comprises a truck having at each side inner and outer sill bars 10, 11 connected by .cross girts 12, the latter being arranged in the same horizontal plane vwith Iinwardly extending Hoor or bottom supporting tongues 12 formed on the inner sill bars 10. The lading bottom -is substantially the same in construction as that illustrated'in my Patent 1,644,010, October 4, 1927, and comprises Hoor sheets 13 resting .upon tliecross girts 12, and the truck sill tongues 12, it being notedthat the bottom is Varranged. below the planes ofthe tops of the axles 14. Above the truck sill bars are arranged laterally extending ,elevated floor portions formed by the sheets 13', the wheels being covered by suitable hoods 14. The floor includes a suitable bottom frame, as shown clearly in Figure 6 of my` patent abovementioned; the frame comprises upper angle bars 15 and lower angle bars 16,V the .upper bars havingoutwardly directed iianges 15 and the lower barsjnwardly directed ianges 16., and the bars being connected by vertical webs 17 so asto formvertical sidewalls of the centrally depressed bottom. Since theformation of this bottom frame is clearly described in my patent, above mentioned, and constitutes no 1partf'of the present invention, further description herein is unnecessary.

Referring to the bumper mounting, each f bumper 18'is supported adjacent `its ends by 30mof the housing.

in substantially the same horizontal plane with the inwardly directed flange 16 of the angle 16 whereby to serve substantially as a support for the floor sheet 13. As illustrated 5 in Fig. 7, the inwardly directed ange 16 is cut away ay distance fromthe end of web17 so that the flange 22 of bracket 19 may be arranged substantially as an extension of the angle bar flange' 16 and thus support the bottom 13. At its upper end each bracket has an outwardly directed shoulder 24 which serves as an extension of outwardly directed iiange 15 of the bottom-frame'angle bar 15. Thus, each bracket is supported by the bottom frame of the car and affords an extension, so to speak, of this frame to support the floorsheets 13, which are supported between the inwardly directed flanges 22 of the brackets at each end.

""y An outwardly tongue 25 serves with tongue 24 as an end support for the elevated Hoor sheets 13 which are disposed in the plane of the tops of the sill bars (Fig. 1) and thus the brackets are xedly secured to the floor frame 25-"and to the flo-or sheets, and become practically a unit of the floor frame construction. Each bracket has an integrally formed cylindrical housing 26, which is adapted to receive thereina spring 27 abutting the rear wall 29 Drawbars 30 extend from end to end of the car through the housing and through the springs, the bars projecting at their ends through openings in fixed walls 31 upon the bumpers. The bumpers have rear- 35"wardly extending sidewalls 32 (Figure 6) shaped to conform to the webs 19 of the brackets. 'Ihe side walls 32 extend downwardly and have their lower edges32 spaced slightly above the floor sheets 13. J ust above a slight- 40 ly curved intermediate portion 33the bumper walls 32 are directed laterally to form a shoulder 34 spaced below a horizontally and outwardly directed web 35. The shoulder 34 and web 35 form a way to receive an inwardly directed tongue 36 upon the bracket, the

tongue serving as aiguide for the bumper as it slides upon the bracket. It will bev observed that the tongue 36 is spaced vertically above the floor lsupporting flanges 24, 25 so MVthat as the bumpermoves the edges of the web 35 on the bumper will not engage the Hoor` sheets but will be free Vto pass thereover. Each drawbar 30 has an end nut 30 by means of which the drawbars areconnected to the bumpers. These nuts may be employed to initially place the springs 27 under compression, but will be adjusted so that the fixed walls 31 on each bumper are spaced from the ends of the spring housings 26. Whenever a bumper is pressed toward the supporting brackets, the springs will be placed under compression and thus take up the blows which otherwise would be transmitted to the 6, car frame and truck. As will be understood, o each kbumper is provided with suitable coupling mechanism, such as that shown in my copending application, Serial No. 210,244,

filed August 3, 1927, and as will be clear from the foregoing, the draft applied to the bumper at either end of the car will be transmitted through the drawbars 30 to the opposite end. Consequently, all pulling strain applied at one end of the car will be transmitted to the opposite end and converted to a pulling pressureV on the rear endof the car.

As will be observed, each of the drawbars 30 is disposed outside the body of the car vand extendsthrough openings 38 formed in the laterally directed flanges upon the inner truck side sill castings 10. The pulling action upon these drawbars is at all times transmitted in the plane of the truck and any lateral or torsional strain is applied to the truck instead of to the body ther-eabove.

Due to the simplicity of the construction, itk

necessary to attachl the supporting brackets and connect the bumpers which are slidably fitted on the brackets by means of the drawbars. Although the drawbars are shown as extending through the truck sill castings, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to this particular arrangement, and vthat the drawbars may be located in other positions, for instance, within the car body, if desired. However, by locating the drawbars outside the body, the load will not interfere with their operation, and they are readily accessible for adjustment or replacement.

Obviously, the invention is not limited to the precise construction illustrated and described, since numerous modications may .be made therein without departingfrom the invention, which is defined in the following claims.

I claim v 1. In a mine car, a pair of end bumpers, a bumper supporting bracket iixedly positioned on the car adjacent each end of and adapted to directly support a bumper, said brackets and bumper having slidablyinterfitting parts adapted to guide the bumper, springs interposed between fixed parts. of the bumper and brackets for limiting movement of the bumper toward the brackets, spring means for limiting movement of the bumper away from the brackets, rigid stop means operative upon over-compression ofcar and bars extending longitudinally of the car connecting the bumpers.

2. In a railway car, an end bumper extending transversely thereof, a lpair of spaced supporting brackets xed to the car and including spring barrels, compression springs mounted therein, vertical Web portions extending from said barrels and terminating in floor supporting flanges, and said bumper having ends which slidingly engage said barrels and web portions in guiding said bumper.

3. In a railway car, an end bumper extending transversely thereof, a pair of spaced supporting brackets fixed to the car and including spring barrels, compression springs mounted therein, horizontal floor supporting anges extending from opposite sides of said brackets, a horizontal guide ange secured to said barrel, and said bumper having ends which slidingly engage said spring barrels and having a Way slidingly engaging with said horizontal guide flange.

4. In a mine car, a bumper, a pair of brackets rigidly secured to the end of the car at opposite sides thereof, said bumper and brackets having rigidly formed thereon Slidable intertting parts forming a fixed guide for the bumper, bars located at opposite sides of the car and extending through the brackets and connected With the bumper.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

GLENN E. EDMUNDS. 

